Scientific Definition
One new possession spirals into a cascade of complementary purchases.
Plain-English Definition
One new possession spirals into a cascade of complementary purchases.
Feynman Explanation
You bought the robe. Now the chair has to go.
Core Principle
One new possession spirals into a cascade of complementary purchases.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
One new possession spirals into a cascade of complementary purchases.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Product ecosystems engineer Diderot spirals on purpose.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
You bought the robe. Now the chair has to go.
Examples
- Buying a new phone triggers cases, headphones, watches, a plan upgrade.
- Product ecosystems engineer Diderot spirals on purpose.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Name the cascade before the second purchase.
Measurement Approaches
Pending editorial review.
Evidence
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Name the cascade before the second purchase.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Interactive Mini Network
Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.
Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
A color appears different depending on adjacent colors.
The ability to focus on one voice in a noisy environment.
Evaluations are warped by what came immediately before.
We spend less when holding large bills than small ones — same money, different behavior.
Selling winners too early and holding losers too long.
We overweight one aspect of an event when predicting its impact.
One negative trait taints judgment of everything else about a person or company.
Evaluated separately, the smaller-but-complete option beats the larger-but-flawed one.
Goals become the focus, sometimes at the expense of the underlying purpose.
'Free' is a different psychological category — disproportionately attractive.
How will I feel about this in 10 minutes / 10 months / 10 years?
Inattention or forgetfulness caused by low attention, hyperfocus, or distraction.